When I was a kid, I was tormented for being a bookworm. A nerd. That, of course, was long before the interwebs changed everything.

I’m as much of a bookworm and nerd today as ever I was. The difference now is that I can find people like me. People who get as excited about a great book as I do. And there are thousands of us! One in particular, Jen Forbus, welcomed me to the online crime fiction community and showed me around, and I am forever in her debt for doing so.

It turns out that every year people who love to read crime fiction get together with each other and a whole bunch of amazing authors for a long weekend known as Bouchercon. Held in a different city each year and organized by volunteers who are Superhero Readers, Bouchercon is an institution…but one I wasn’t aware of until I found the community of crime fiction readers and authors online.

Now, I can’t wait to scuttle on down to St. Louis in September.

I’m both excited (generally) and honored (specifically) to be moderating a couple of panels. I feel like I’ve won the panel lottery.

The first, titled BORRASCA, includes Linwood Barclay, Alafair Burke, Gregg Hurwitz, and Lisa Unger, four of my favorite authors. I couldn’t have thought of better storytellers to talk about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and I already have a bunch of questions brewing.

If you read this blog often or know me at all, you know that in addition to my Irish name, passport and family, I have a real affinity for Irish fiction. With the panel titled AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION, Eoin Colfer, John Connolly, Erin Hart, and Stuart Neville comprise an ideal group to talk about Irish crime fiction because each brings a different—and yet highly relevant—perspective. Also, if you’re interested in a fantastic introduction to modern Irish crime fiction, get a copy of DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS.

I’ll be talking more about each of these authors’ books in the coming weeks. If you haven’t made plans to come to St. Louis, please consider doing so!